Sean Gates

Neil Robson decodes complex UK and EU regulations to provide practical regulatory and compliance advice to financial services firms. He represents a range of financial market participants — hedge and private equity fund managers, investment advisors, broker-dealers and proprietary traders — that are based or doing business in the UK or the EU. Neil's extensive working knowledge of this complicated sector allows his clients to both meet their business objectives and satisfy regulat...

Dorothee Fischer-Appelt is a New York and English-qualified shareholder with 24 years' experience in international capital markets and M&A transactions. She represents companies, financial institutions and selling shareholders in connection with international equity and debt capital markets transactions, including IPOs, secondary equity offerings, structured equity offerings, convertibles, warrants, block trades, high yield offerings, Rule 144A debt offerings, covered bonds, exchange offe...

Franz Schwarz focuses on complex multi-jurisdictional disputes. He has extensive experience with arbitral practice, procedure and advocacy both in civil and common law systems. Mr. Schwarz has been involved in more than 250 arbitrations as counsel and arbitrator, both ad-hoc and before all major arbitral institutions (including ICC, LCIA, Vienna and Stockholm), at multiple seats and governed by a broad variety of substantive and procedural laws. He has a particular focus on joint venture, M&a...

Prior to joining Skadden, Mr. Gal led the strategic development of the Middle Eastern litigation practice of another major U.S. law firm. Over the course of the last 20 years, he has represented some of the world’s leading companies in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and finance, infrastructure, energy, construction and technology under a variety of different rules including ICC, ICSID, LCIA, UNCITRAL, AAA and ad hoc arbitrations. He served, until recently, as one of Austral...

Nicholas (Nick) Holland focuses his practice on international contentious trusts and estates and acts primarily for wealthy families, individuals, institutional trustees, protectors and enforcers in disputes involving offshore trusts. Nick is also often involved in non-contentious international private wealth matters where he brings his extensive knowledge of offshore trusts and jurisdictions as well as potentially litigious outcomes to bear on the difficulties faced by international wealthy ...

Anna Nolan is counsel in the Financial Restructuring & Reorganization Practice in Alston & Bird’s London office. With over 10 years of experience, Anna assists a wide range of clients including hedge funds, special situations investors, trustees, providers of rescue and exit finance, issuers, sponsors, bondholder committees, administrators, and debtors with distressed transactions, conducting corporate, and financial restructurings and general insolvency matters.

David Birchall advises clients on the full range of energy transactions in the mid- and downstream fields, including types of commodity trading matters, conventional, renewables and clean-tech projects, energy and infrastructure projects, regulation and waste, including waste-to-energy schemes. Having practised as an energy corporate, regulatory and projects lawyer since 1993, he also worked from the start of the renewables and physical commodities trading legal market, in the UK, throughout ...

Ceyda Knoebel is an English-Turkish dual-qualified solicitor and Of Counsel in the London office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She is a member of the firm’s Dispute Resolution and International Arbitration Groups. Ms. Knoebel advises on a wide range of disputes involving public international law and general commercial matters in common and civil law jurisdictions. She has experience in both commercial and investment treaty arbitration proceedings under the UNCITRAL, ICSID, ICC, VIAC a...

Graham Defries is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Life Sciences Law. Graham, who practices law in London, United Kingdom, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Graham is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Stephen Pollard is a seasoned litigator with more than 30 years of experience in the full spectrum of business crime and securities enforcement work. During his career, Mr. Pollard has been involved in most of the significant business crime investigations and prosecutions brought by the UK authorities. Mr. Pollard has particular experience in representing senior individuals from public and private companies, including those from the financial services sector. In addition, Mr. Pollard is regul...